The Greek adjective anthrōpareskos means man-pleasing or seeking to please people rather than God. Occurring twice in the NT (Ephesians 6:6; Colossians 3:22), it describes a servile orientation toward human approval that compromises integrity. Paul uses it to contrast superficial service (to please the eye of a master) with wholehearted service to Christ.
Anthrōpareskos diagnoses a fundamental spiritual disease: making human approval the goal of life and service. Paul confronts this in Galatians 1:10: 'Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.' People-pleasing subtly distorts the gospel, compromises prophecy, and produces the kind of smooth-tongued leader who tells people what they want to hear. The antidote is theosebeia — God-fearing, God-pleasing orientation.